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He may be, but I don't think it's safe to assume that about Sufjan Stevens from the lyrics on Illinoise. He's frequently telling other peoples' stories. Stuart Murdoch, of Belle and Sebastian, often writes in a similar way, telling the stories of girls and gay characters in the first person.

Oh man - scored tickets for the Atlanta show today (after a lengthy battle). Why (why) do bands insist on doing pre-sales for fans (yay!) and then have them hosted on the world's shittiest servers. It's 2010 - Using fucking cloud servers when you expect such a huge influx of people.

The title track, "From the Mouth of Gabriel," and (of course) "The Owl and the Tanager," are very, very beautiful, and I think "Arnika" will grow on me. "Enchanting Ghost" and "Heirloom" both feel a bit B-side-ish, but they aren't offensive. Perhaps they will grow as well. I can't stand the first 12 minutes of "Djohariah," and the last 4 are a frustrating blend of lovely and obnoxious. One thing I notice and appreciate is how straightforwardly emotional and personal much of this seems compared to a lot of his music, and how much less restrained his vocal delivery is. At times he sounds downright unhinged, but it still holds together in a very affecting way. I was expecting some kind of departure, production wise, but outside of "Djohariah," it seems like mostly classic Sufjan, with lots of twinkly orchestral stuff and the ever-present banjo. I'm satisfied.